Over the past two seasons Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie has transformed the Aggies from a perennial bottom-dweller into a national phenomenon.

The story is now widely known how A&M was 0-16 (17 if you count the Big 12 conference first round tournament loss) the season before Gillispie arrived in College Station, and now they are No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' poll and a favorite to challenge Kansas for the Big 12 title.

Strange huh, Aggieland being synonymous with hoops?

Reed Arena is starting to draw comparisons to its brethren across Wellborn Road at Kyle Field as one of the toughest arenas to play in the Big 12, and it's all due to Gillispie.

But what isn't as widely known is how Gillispie transformed his team by transforming his players.